Watch Powell on "Face the Nation"

By Kelly Thomas - Posted on 23 May 2009

From Washington Post:

In case you have not heard, Colin Powell will answer right-wing critics this Sunday on "Face the Nation." It's must-see TV for the RFO crew. Let's see how long it takes the extreme-right to demand he leave the Republican Party immediately.

Under intense fire from the right, former secretary of state Colin L.
Powell is preparing to answer his Republican critics this weekend in a
television appearance that is likely to add fuel to his long-standing
feud with top conservatives in his party.

The appearance will come just days after Powell, one of the
country's leading black political figures, told an audience in Boston
that a new Republican Party is "waiting to emerge." Earlier this month,
he said the party is in "deep trouble" because "Americans are looking
for more government in their life, not less."

Powell's current battle with the right flank of the GOP is a
continuation of a war that began in November 1995, when he announced
that he would not be a candidate in the 1996 presidential race. With an
apparent eye on 2000, he said he would change his lifelong political
registration from independent to Republican and begin a quest to move
the party toward what he considered its natural home in the center.

"What Colin Powell needs to do is close the loop and become a
Democrat, instead of claiming to be a Republican interested in
reforming the Republican Party," Limbaugh told listeners. And Cheney
dryly commented: "I didn't know he was still a Republican."

Powell's turn will come this weekend. He is scheduled to appear on
CBS's "Face the Nation" tomorrow and has told associates that he plans
to answer his critics. Whether he will make an announcement about his
party affiliation is unclear.

I just finished watching the interview. I was very impressed with his articulation of where the Republican party should be directing itself (and it ain't more to the right!)

I think he answered Rush and Cheney quite well and made all those Republicans who had to bow down and apologize to Rush look pretty silly.

I agreed with his criticism of Pres. Obama on the Gitmo fund request (asking for $ before a detailed plan was in place) and I actually think Pres. Obama would agree since he had so few votes to support him. In retrospect, I'm sure Pres. Obama is working on a plan to make sure Congress is on board. One thing I know for sure is that Obama respects Powell greatly and I'm glad to hear they are discussing important issues.

I'm still a little shaky on where Powell stands on the enhanced interrogation/Iraq War/what role he played. He kind of plays into the "we panicked after 9/11 and wanted to do everything in our power to keep Amercans safe" argument, but I wish he could have used his leadership to get everyone thinking calmly and rationally instead of allowing our moral integrity to go out the window. I'm not saying he was a major player in any of that but perhaps too passive, and not willing to do more homework on his own (rather than trusting all that was handed to him.)

As always, he spoke with class and confidence. I know the GOP is looking for a new leader: can't we unofficially elect Powell as that leader (just don't tell the extreme right Neocons!)?

For me, Powell lost all his credibility since his performance at the UN.

He did for me at the time as well, but it seems that Defense and CIA had already done an end-run around State well before Powell brought his case to the UN. At the time, Rumsfeld had the advantage of (fake) evidence, so if he challenged Rummy, he would have been turned into a laughingstock overnight. Had he refused, Rice or a Cheney crony (most likely Bolton) would have done it, and he would have been kicked out of the GOP. His ultimate goal, from what I can see, is to put the brakes on the GOP's hard-right turn that started with Gingrich, and it would be nigh-impossible to do that from the outside without destroying the GOP as we know it. So, the options for Sec. Powell were apparently: (1) Refuse and allow the GOP to continue its joyride without any effects from him or his friends/family; (2) Accept and continue to work within the party.

He may have made a horrible choice back then, but compare his behavior now to Gingrich or Cheney.

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It's sad that we've reached a point where 'government service' is a dirty word... If we're the greatest country on earth, maybe we can have the greatest government.

Oh, I can just picture Rush Limbaugh doing his bouncy dance hearing this SmackDown rhetoric coming from within his party. Tom Ridge explains that commentators are not helping Republicans make their case to the American people and are hurting, not helping.

Powell and Ridge in one day! They will be tombstoned during the Rush hour. If enough of the party leadership throws Limbaugh overboard he'll respond by telling his 20 million listeners not to support the GOP anymore and create a third party. That will give the Republican party time to reorganize into a more reasonable entity.